Madonna, Guy Ritchie settle child custody dispute: court official

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U.S. pop star Madonna looks at her daughter Lourdes (L) as she holds her adopted Malawian child Mercy James during a visit to Gumulira village, about 80 km (50 miles) from the Malawian capital Lilongwe, April 5, 2010 REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Singer Madonna and her ex-husband, director Guy Ritchie, have settled a custody dispute over their 16-year-old son Rocco, a court official in New York said on Wednesday.

It was not immediately announced with which parent the teenager would live.

Madonna, 58, and Ritchie, 47, have been in a legal battle over their son since December, when the teenager ignored a court order to fly back from Ritchie’s London home to live with his mother in New York.

The “Material Girl” singer, who concluded her worldwide “Rebel Heart” tour in March, and Ritchie, director of 2009 film “Sherlock Holmes,” married in 2000. After they divorced in 2008, they agreed that Rocco would live with Madonna.

In March, a New York judge and a British judge both separately urged the former spouses to find an amicable resolution for Rocco’s sake.

Lucian Chalfen, a spokesman for the New York State court system, confirmed the case was officially settled on Wednesday but did not immediately provide further information.

Details of the settlement also were not revealed in online court records. Attorneys for Ritchie did not immediately return calls for comment and a representative for Madonna’s lawyers said they do not comment on cases involving children.

Madonna and Ritchie also have an adopted son who was born in Malawi.

Ritchie is now married to British model Jacqui Ainsley, with whom he has three children.